Food Retail Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Retail - Assignment Example Given the trend toward globalization and international expansion of markets, modern retailers are faced with increasing competition as well as the need to expand their products and services to appeal to broader market segments. This process is requiring retail grocers to identify and target specific ethnic market segments. In the same way that US retailers have successfully targeted Hispanic consumers, international retail grocery companies such as Tesco must focus on diversifying their product line and successfully marketing to significant segments such as the Muslim community. According to the company, Tesco is one of the world's leading international food retailers with over 2500 stores worldwide and a commitment to long-term growth (Tesco: At a Glance, 2006: 1). In fact, it has been called the "success story" of British supermarket retailing whose industry leadership has been widely accepted (Kacker & Sternquist, 1994: 202). This places the organization at the forefront of market development because its broad reach locates it's outlets in many different markets with an extremely diverse customer base. In those areas which have high concentrations of devout Muslims, this means offering a product line that comports with the strict dietary laws known as Halal. There is no doubt about the fact that the Muslim community has significant economic power; in France, it is estimated that if the 60 million Muslims who reside there would consume and purchase only Halal meat, the product could account for 10% to 15% of the French national meat market (Kutschera, 199 6: 40). Given Tesco's stated corporate responsibility policy, which notes the organization's intent to appeal to customers across many social and economic ranges as well as use their size and success as a force for good in playing an important role in local communities, Tesco has given itself no choice but to develop products that will appeal to this constituency (Tesco: Corporate Responsibility, 2005: 1). The concept of Halal, which means "acceptable," is to the Muslim community what Kosher is to the Jewish community. It is a set of dietary laws which prescribe the manner in which foods are processed prior to being consumed, and there is increasing Muslim demand for the provision of these products (Haddad & Lummis, 1987: 20). In fact, making acceptable food available to devout Muslims is so important that many European countries are now including it as part of the food services available in public institutions such as schools and hospitals; and if they cannot find it elsewhere, many Muslims will purchase their meat from Jewish shops because of

Discussion a solution to the problem of the abortion Essay

Discussion a solution to the problem of the abortion - Essay Example However, some among them approve of abortions in cases of incest and rape, taking into account the psychological trauma and future inconveniences that the victims have to face. But many of them think that abortion cannot a real solution to such situations, and can only increase the difficulties for those who feel guilty and paranoid after abortion. According to them, life is the most valuable element that we have to take into account in such situations, and not the ever-changing psychological states of people. The group that argues that abortions should be legalized believes that it must ultimately be the choice of the woman to have abortion or not. The idea that abortion becomes a necessity to only those who are sex assault victims is contested by them, with data that proves that in most cases, failed contraceptives and other personal choices related to the maturity of the woman and family structure are the strongest reasons for abortion. If a woman is determines that she could not manage to raise a child, she should be given the basic human freedom to get rid of the fetus before it grows to a child. There may be risks involved in repeated abortions, which could be discouraged with proper counseling from health professionals. Legalization of abortion with strict guidelines which would determine the genuineness of the person who requests it could be the only solution to the problem. Hasty and uninformed abortions could be discouraged. There could be a team of people who explain for the psychological aspected involved o the concerned person. Moreover, health professionals could be given an opportunity to research the valid reasons for an abortion before it is done. They may ask the person who needs it to give valid reasons, and prove that she would be able to handle it psychologically. Denying a woman the right to choose when she could or could not have a child will violate human

Cultural Distance Measurement And Its Impact Marketing Essay

Cultural Distance Measurement And Its Impact Marketing Essay In todays globalised world economy, the nations are becoming extremely cross-cultural. A better understanding of global consumer culture and its influences on consumer behaviour will play an integral role for both international marketers and consumer researchers to penetrate new international markets. The role of cultural difference in the present cross-cultural environment is taken into consideration for localizing marketing strategies (Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952). The designing of international marketing strategies and understanding the local market cultures is a challenge for new consumer researchers to understand and analyse the needs of foreign consumers. It is essential to understand the aspects of cultural dimensions to assess the impact of culture on consumer decisions, as the culture tends to manipulate the decisions of the consumer based on cultural value system (Akaka and Alden, 2010). This cultural value system acts as a guide for interactions within the members of the s ociety and between the consumer and its products. What is culture? According to Hofstede (2001), the culture is defined as, the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. This definition focusses on the etic approach, where the researchers look for universal or culture free concepts and its theories. However, the emic methodology is an alternative approach focussing on the subject being researched and understanding its issues. Culture is defined emically as, the lens through which all phenomena are seen. It determines how these phenomenas are adopted and assimilated Luna and Gupta (2001). In fact, there are several models of culture differences which are utilized to determine the framework of culture in shared groups or in a group acting as an interpretive model of consumer behaviour. This paper evaluates the culture dimension models proposed by Hofstede (2001) and House (2004) and the impact of different cultures in global consumer market. Some people may argue that culture is a shared idea, yet with different value sets, influenced by cross cultural beliefs. Within the reality of intercultural communication, the behavioural pattern followed by one society is integral to the basic concept of culture (McSweeney, 2002). Hofstede categorized culture into five different dimensions such as power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/feminity, and long term/short term orientation. The market researchers implemented Hofstedes cultural dimensions to the communications related to digital technology. Javidan et al. (2004), for instance, recognized individualism/collectivism which is one of the cultural dimensions proposed by (Hofstede, 2001), through a text based transcript of courses listserv (University online portal). They noticed that students from individualist culture behaved differently than the students from collectivist culture while communicating in listserv. The white American students, especially males were discovered to be more individualistic in their approach as compared to the Asian students who were more group oriented displaying a strong sense of we approach in their messages. This study showed that organizational communication through internet authenticated the influence of different cultural traits on the students behavioural pattern, belonging to different national cultures. Furthermore, Chiou (1999) conducted market research in the United States and Taiwan which resulted into findings that consumers in individualist cultures used products to demonstrate thei r inner values, while in collectivist cultures the consumers were more influenced to utilize the product to reinforce the social relationships. In an international public relations situation, the presence of power distance factor was also confirmed by other researchers, where power distance played an integral role in terms of product crisis. For example, the Coca Cola tainting crisis in Belgium in 1999. The product was recalled as the consumers complained about the irregular taste and odour in the bottled products. Due to Symptoms of reported illness, the Belgian Health Ministry banned the products of the Coca Cola Enterprise. Approximately, 15 million cans and tinned products were recalled. The CEO of Coca Cola apologized to the Belgian Health Ministry, and posted notes in newspapers and addressed consumers through media. On 22nd June 1999, the Belgian Health Ministry lifted the ban on Coca Cola Enterprise, and the company provided premiums to 72,000 consumers (Johnson Peppas, 2003). This case exhibits high level of power distance between the government and the consumers, which demonstrates a strong response to the crisis as compared to the countries that exhibits low power distance. On the other hand, Steenkamp et al. (2001) studied the effect of national culture on shaping consumer perceptions. He argues that the relationship between the conceptual definition of Hofstedes dimension and its implementation to measure cultural dimensions is weak and unclear. The scores are based on the samples recorded from IBM employees, which do not represent their own country in the research. This model can be implemented in small scale industries and less developed countries. In addition, he also states that Hofstedes research is more focussed on work related values which makes the data time and context specific. Similarly, McSweeney (2002) argues that Hofstedes research displayed narrowness of the survey conducted on population limited to one organisation IBM. Although the survey was conducted in 66 countries where IBM subsidiaries were located, the data used to build national culture comparisons was considerably limited to feedbacks from sales-plus marketing employees of IBM. The survey was matched on an occupational and organisational basis which neglected the fact of the employees, which could display the extent to which they can represent their nationality and their respective cultures. The sense of clarity in Hofstedes research with respect to national culture is unclear. Average tendency depending on questionnaire responses from the employees in a single company, failed to justify Hofstedes claim that national average tendency of consumers matches the average tendency of the people in the cross cultural environment. On the other hand, another research programme came into existence which categorized culture into nine major dimensions such as uncertainty avoidance, power distance, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, gender egalitarianism, assertiveness, future orientation, performance orientation, humane orientation and six primary global factors for leadership behaviour (House et al. 2004). Project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness) mainly focussed on the performance of leadership behaviours in different cultural contexts (House and Javidan, 2004). This project determined culture into two distinct types: cultural values and its practices. According to House et al. (2004), firstly, societal culture might influence an implicit belief which creates a CLT (cultural leadership theory). Secondly, leadership behaviour and attributes is directly influenced by societal culture. Thirdly, leader behaviours and characteristics leads to leader acceptance and effectiveness, however this interconnection is guided by CLT. The GLOBE dimensions of culture are applicable at both the societal or organisational level. For instance, feminine values are more developed in Japanese culture as compared to masculine values. Emotions and sensitivity plays an important role in Japanese marketing. For example, in Japan the wife decides how much money her husband can spend on his daily expenditures (Tanouchi, 1983). This factor can manipulate the buying behaviour of the husband. This society exhibits higher scores on gender egalitarianism practices as women is in the position where she has authority over her male counterpart, and societies where the scores are low (e.g. India, Kuwait, Egypt) the involvement of women in decision making is low. No society can be depicted as true egalitarian society where we can discover equal opportunities for men and women. Furthermore, future orientation is also one of the dimensions of culture discussed by House in his GLOBE project, where it demonstrates a cultural trait of individuals in societies involved in future planning and investment (Ashkanasy et al., 2004). For example, Intel, the worlds leading manufacturer of microprocessors is planning to enter the mobile phone market. Its investment and planning is based on its competence of developing and designing of smartphones which can be used more like a computer. Value added features of voice capability with faster internet access on smartphones like computers using Intels low power atom microprocessors. Based on this new technology, Intel is hoping to become a major player in the field of mobile communications (Jobber, 2010). This case exhibits low scores on the aspect of future orientation culture dimension proposed by House (2004). Intel wanted to invest on the technology to achieve market share and gain profit in the current market situation. The degree to which individual or the organisation has the propensity to save for the future requirements that society scores high on the future orientation dimension of culture According to recent study, Okazaki et al. (in press) scrutinized how soft sell versus hard sell techniques of advertising was interpreted by Japanese versus Unites States consumers. Using performance orientation and assertiveness which are two dimensions of culture in GLOBE study, it assessed the effectiveness of the ads in two societies. The results showed a variable response across the two cultures. The hard sell approaches are more persuasive for American consumers while soft sell advertising approaches are more favourable for Japanese consumers. This study shows that US consumers are more assertive and believe in performance oriented values. On the other hand, Japanese consumers are more likely to achieve irritation by hard selling ads because the ads were perceived as too aggressive, and too achievement oriented. This study exhibits multiple dimensions of GLOBE such as assertiveness and performance orientation. It also provides an idea about the perspective of advertising consid ering different culture practices and values. By the above mentioned interaction models proposed by (Hofstede, 1980b) and (House, 2004), culture can be segmented into cultural values and practices, corresponding to consumer behavioural pattern influenced by their own culture. The cultural difference need to be identified in the global marketing situation, because it gives an idea of understanding local cultures which authenticates a deeper understanding of consumption pattern in a specific situation. The understanding of culture distance also helps to build a relationship between the product or service and the consumers. Failure in understanding culture difference may lead to catastrophic ramifications. For example, Halal meats in fast food outlets. Halal is an Arabic word which means lawful, which denotes that animal, should be slaughtered by a Muslim and invokes the name of Allah as the animal, dies. Belgium has the largest Halal meat processing plants as the number of Muslim population is increasing in the European region. The fast food outlet such as McDonalds, KFC therefore has halal certification where there is low risk of contamination from pork products. Due to which fast food business has established quickly and is a growing trend in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia accounts of 15% of food sales through fast food business which has grown over the last 5 years. (Usunier and Lee, 2005, p. 279). Similarly in countries like Malaysia, for example, fast food outlets such as Pizza Hut and KFC are advised by Syariah council to ensure that all overseas food supply and food production is Halal meat. The fast food companies identified the cultural importance and its difference with respect to Muslim traditions, and to attract the Muslim consumers they started with the Halal system, and posted notes and hoarding in front of the outlets which said that they follow the tradition of Halal meat. As a result, fast food outlets identified the cultural difference and gained market share in the global food sector. Another example which demonstrates cultural difference playing an important role in manipulating consumer behaviour is in the womens beauty sector. This sector consists of segments which provide brands with immense of opportunities to target specific groups. LOreal, for example, with its tag line Because youre worth it targets women who believe that they deserve to be self indulgence and pampering. Such niche targeting has made the brand into one of the leading players in the cosmetic market. However, on the other hand, Unilever entered the beauty market but chose not to compete with LOreal directly. Alternatively, it categorized women into different belief segments who oppose against beauty stereotypes. Dove promoted its product with its Campaign for Real Beauty where images of women do not match the tall, thin and young category. The brand created a different belief system by promoting workshops to help young girls with body related low self esteem. Dove successfully created a democratic view in the mind of the consumers about beauty and identified the market segment by tapping the women culture based on beliefs. Implementation of this strategy led Dove to be a major player in this market segment (Jobber, 2010). Consumer electronics market on the other hand is typically culture free product segment as they are more technologically based product or service and universally used. Here, the culture context acts lower priority and consumer behaviour is similar with respect to cross-national environments (Usunier and Lee, 2005). However, there is an exception in developing countries in which consumer electronic goods are bonded with culture. For example in China, owning a colour TV is a requirement to marriage and they sometimes are willing to wait so that they are able to afford the best colour TV to display the social status before marriage. Sony Corporation took advantage of this culture system and launched 3D LED BRAVIA Colour TV in China. Owning this TV in China is considered to be respectful and wealthy. Sony tapped the Chinese market with Japanese technology which favoured the organisation to create a brand image and now it is one of the major consumer brands in China in terms of television and music industry (Usunier and Lee, 2005) Some organisations tend to enter the niche market by targeting a specific group of culture. For instance, Nike produces wide range of sports equipments and follows the hip hop culture and the youth culture to persuade consumers to buy their fashionable products. For market penetration, Nike signed contracts with famous professional teams and athletes casting them in their advertisements and persuading young generation to buy the same product as their sports ideal is utilizing them. Nike targeted the sporting culture in young generation who care more about the utility and quality of the product rather than price. This strategy provides them a huge platform to position their product in the consumer market. Athletes are the main consumers of Nike products. This sporting company segmented the market according to the consumers sporting culture; this strategy helped Nike to build product intimacy with the consumers and persuaded them to purchase the product by associating the brand with high profile athletes like Michael Jordan. The recognition of distinct sporting culture in the consumer market led Nike to be the leading company in the world to provide sporting goods (www.articlebase.com) To conclude, it has been observed that culture plays an integral role in consumer behaviour. The marketers adapt and standardize their product according to the culture, so that they can segment, target, and position their product in a specific group or in the market as a whole. The organisations who failed to identify the cultural distance in consumers, struggled with the concept of brand positioning in the global market situation. Cultural difference can be reduced by analysing the local environment and practices to create a brand relationship between the product and the consumers. The brand adoption process of a consumer is influenced by personal value and expressions in their purchase. The individuality of the consumers affects the brand value and their perceptions about the brand. The concept of Glocalisation where Globalisation meets Localisation is essential in order to help the marketers to customize their global brands according to the local needs and suit the local cultures. One of the most important culture bound tool of marketing mix is advertising. It is the strongest link between the companies and its consumers in marketing communications. The words and images used in advertising can influence the consumer in terms of his culture, as the advertising campaign does not depends on particular country or region. This strategy can create an impact on global consumer culture at a considerable extent provide the message is interpreted in the way What is said and How it is said by the brand. In this case, as mentioned above, the brands such as Sony, McDonalds, KFC, and Nike identified the global consumer culture and their trends which patronized them to create a brand image in the minds of the consumers. In addition, they also created a brand relationship whic h corresponds to the global consumer culture by global marketing operations.

Symbolism of the Rose Bush in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarlet Lett

Symbolism of the Rose Bush in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A'" (51). That one simple letter set into the bodice of a young woman named Hester Prynne, tells a story of heartache, pride, strength and triumph in the book elegantly written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850). Hawthorne's novel provides many types of symbolism. One of such is the symbolism of a red rose bush growing outside the gates of the town prison. Hester Prynne starts her life as an average respected young woman until she commits the loathsome crime of adultery, which forever condemns her to wear a bright scarlet "A" on her chest. The story begins with the pain she and her daughter Pearl were forced to endure. Throughout the years this pain and suffering grow from an awful burden she has to face, to pride and strength. Instead of walking around the town hiding her chest, she prominently displays her "A". Despite how many whispers, looks of disgust, and feelings of disgrace she experiances, she continues on with her life to the best of her ability. After all the years of hurt Hester and Pearl endured alone, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale finally reveals the secret that he was the one with which Hester committed adultery, while lying on his death bed. In the first chapter of the story a rose bush is described. One that was forced to suffer harsh weather and years of damage. Yet it survives long after all the other trees and shrubbery that once exceeded it died. Only after years of learning to adapt to its harsh surroundings does it grow to produce beautiful red roses for others to enjoy. "o... ...om its original habitat it presents the one who chose to harm it with the pierce of hurt from its thorns, but once the thorns are know of, caution is used when handling it. The strongest and heartiest people are those who have suffered through adversity and survived. Those people have a stronger character and are more self reliant than those sheltered from pain and suffering. Hester, Pearl, and the rose bush are all excellent examples of this. The rose bush spent years in horrible conditions to be able to one day share its beauty to the world. Pearl grew up in a life of shame, but ended up become her mother true comfort to life. Hester sinned, but she remained true to her vows, and in the end she becomes the stronger, more noble character, in the novel. Work Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. New York, 1987. Symbolism of the Rose Bush in The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarlet Lett Symbolism of the Rose Bush in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      "On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter 'A'" (51). That one simple letter set into the bodice of a young woman named Hester Prynne, tells a story of heartache, pride, strength and triumph in the book elegantly written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850). Hawthorne's novel provides many types of symbolism. One of such is the symbolism of a red rose bush growing outside the gates of the town prison. Hester Prynne starts her life as an average respected young woman until she commits the loathsome crime of adultery, which forever condemns her to wear a bright scarlet "A" on her chest. The story begins with the pain she and her daughter Pearl were forced to endure. Throughout the years this pain and suffering grow from an awful burden she has to face, to pride and strength. Instead of walking around the town hiding her chest, she prominently displays her "A". Despite how many whispers, looks of disgust, and feelings of disgrace she experiances, she continues on with her life to the best of her ability. After all the years of hurt Hester and Pearl endured alone, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale finally reveals the secret that he was the one with which Hester committed adultery, while lying on his death bed. In the first chapter of the story a rose bush is described. One that was forced to suffer harsh weather and years of damage. Yet it survives long after all the other trees and shrubbery that once exceeded it died. Only after years of learning to adapt to its harsh surroundings does it grow to produce beautiful red roses for others to enjoy. "o... ...om its original habitat it presents the one who chose to harm it with the pierce of hurt from its thorns, but once the thorns are know of, caution is used when handling it. The strongest and heartiest people are those who have suffered through adversity and survived. Those people have a stronger character and are more self reliant than those sheltered from pain and suffering. Hester, Pearl, and the rose bush are all excellent examples of this. The rose bush spent years in horrible conditions to be able to one day share its beauty to the world. Pearl grew up in a life of shame, but ended up become her mother true comfort to life. Hester sinned, but she remained true to her vows, and in the end she becomes the stronger, more noble character, in the novel. Work Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. New York, 1987.

Consequences of Syrian Conflict Essay

*Syria is now mired in an armed conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al Asad and rebel fighters opposed to his rule. -Since major unrest began in March 2011, various reports suggest that between 22,000 and 25,000 Syrians have been killed. -U.S. officials and many analysts believe that President Bashar al Asad, his family members, and his other supporters will ultimately be forced from power, but few offer specific, credible timetables for a resolution to Syria’s ongoing crisis. -In the face of intense domestic and international pressure calling for political change and for an end to violence against civilians, the Asad government offered limited reforms while also meeting protests and armed attacks with overwhelming force. -Nonviolent protests continued, but their apparent futility created frustration and anger within the opposition ranks. -An increasing number of Syrian civilians have taken up arms in self-defense, although armed rebel attacks alienate some potential supporters. -The government accuses the opposition of carrying out bombings and assassinations targeting security infrastructure, security personnel, and civilians in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and other areas. -Accounts of human rights abuses by both sides persist, with the majority attributed to security forces and military units. Backgrounds *Syrians have long struggled with many of the same challenges that have bred deep dissatisfaction in other Arab autocracies, including high unemployment, high inflation, limited upward mobility, rampant corruption, lack of political freedoms, and repressive security forces. -These factors have fueled opposition to Syria’s authoritarian government, which has been dominated by the Baath (Renaissance) Party since 1963, and the Al Asad family since 1970. -President Bashar al Asad’s father—Hafiz al Asad—ruled the country from 1970 until his death in 2000. *Since taking office in 2000, President Asad has offered and retracted the prospect of limited political reform, while aligning his government with Iran and non-state actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah in a complex rivalry with the United States and its Arab and non-Arab allies (including Israel). -Syria’s long-standing partnership with Russia has remained intact and is now the focus of intense diplomatic attention because Russia is one of the regime’s only remaining defenders. -As unrest emerged in other Arab countries in early 2011, Asad and many observers mistakenly believed that Syria’s pervasive police state and the population’s fear of sectarian violence would serve as a bulwark against the outbreak of turmoil. -Limited calls in February 2011 to organize reform protests failed, but the government’s torture of children involved in an isolated incident in the southern town of Dara’a in March provided a decisive spark for the emergence of demonstrations. -The use of force against demonstrators in Dara’a and later in other cities created a corresponding swell in public anger and public participation in protests. -The government organized large counterdemonstrations. -For much of 2011 and early 2012, a cycle of tension and violence intensified, as President Asad and his government paired limited reform gestures with the use of military force against protestors and armed opposition groups. -Violence was initially limited to certain locations but now has affected most major cities, including Damascus and Aleppo. -Members of different elites may seek compromise with the opposition, but there has been little public dissent from top regime figures. -Defections from the armed forces and from the political and business elites continue, and international sanctions and the disruptions of the conflict are creating hardship for ordinary Syrians. -As the conflict has dragged on, protestors and opposition fighters have defiantly resisted government crackdowns, in spite of the arrest of thousands of citizens and documented cases of torture and regime-instigated massacres. -The regime argues that opposition violence and abuses make a negotiated solution impossible, and President Asad refuses to leave power. -In an August 2012 report, the United Nations Human Rights Council commission of inquiry on Syria found: 2 reasonable grounds to believe that Government forces and the Shabbiha( is a term used in the context of the Syrian civil war to describe armed men in civilian clothing who assault protesters against the government of President Bashar Al-Assad.) had committed the crimes against humanity of murder and of torture, war crimes and gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including unlawful killing, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual violence, indiscriminate attack, pillaging and destruction of property . -The commission found reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes, including murder, extrajudicial execution and torture, had been perpetrated by organized anti-Government armed groups. Consequences *Latest news from Syria shows that the West is not going to stop, continuing efforts to consolidate the â€Å"opposition† and give the military resistance more centralized character, with the division into districts and Action Front of the rebel army. *At the same time, the regular army of Syria increasingly showing signs of weakening. *Actually,the consequences of the fall of the Syrian regime are significantly differentiated for Russia, China and Iran but more vulnerable to such threats is the Islamic Republic, however a detailed consideration of these issues is beyond the scope of this article. -One can only assume that at the critical point, these countries are more prefer to engage in a post-conflict settlement of fragmented Syria, which will allow them to maintain a semblance of respect for their interests and lost regional role and influence, rather than spending more resources to preserve the regime. *Meanwhile, the consequences of military action in Syria, regardless of the outcome, can have an impact on the situation in Central Asia and in particular in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and then create the conditions for the tension in Xinjiang along the entire borders of these countries. *Now in Syria, according to public information, in addition to the Free Syrian Army and various local rebel groups there are several number of groups of jihadist orientation, fighting in the ranks of the representatives of the Arab countries, as well as immigrants from Europe and other regions of the world, representing essentially gang mercenaries, under the auspices of the West, Turkey and the Arab monarchies. -But, for the countries of Central Asia, as well as Russia and China, should be of particular concern the so-called group of â€Å"Dzhebat al Nusra† (Jabhat al-Nusra=(â€Å"The Support Front for the People of Syria†), is a militant group operating in Syria.) or â€Å"Al-Nusra front to protect the Levant.† *According to the latest information, in the ranks of this group, which is considered by many experts as branch of al-Qaeda, involved citizens of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia (natives of the North Caucasus), as well as citizens of the China (ethnic Uighurs). (Rim(8090))

Alcibiades Short

Alcibiades was born in 450 BC in ancient Athens. He was the child of Cleinias and Deinomache. Through his mother, Deinomache, Alcibiades belonged to a very wealthy and powerful family. Alcibiades himself first began to develop into a powerful figure through deception. He was offended when the Spartans overlooked him due to his youth and settled on a treaty agreement with Nicias and Laches instead. Alcibiades seized the chance to go behind the Athenian Assembly’s back by taking ambassadors under his wing and turning them against the Assembly as well.Soon after, Alcibiades was appointed General and began to threaten Sparta’s authority by grouping with other nearby states in the Peloponnese. However, this union was eventually vanquished in the Battle of Mantinea. Years later, Alcibiades was wrongly accused of destroying an important religious statue in Athens. Instead of standing trial, he ran away and was condemned to death because of this. To avoid death, Alcibiades join ed the Spartans as a military advisor and contributed very much to their advantage. Nevertheless, Alcibiades fell out of Sparta’s good graces after the retirement of his ally Endius.After a near-death experience in Sparta as well, Alcibiades fled to Persia and began making policy suggestions to Thucydides regarding the Persian court. However, Alcibiades secretly longed to return to Athens so he negotiated with the Athenian leaders for a long time and eventually returned, bringing Persian money and warships with him. Alcibiades was involved in many small wars, including the Battle of Abydos, Battle of Cyzicus, Battle of Aegospotami, and the Battle of Notium. It has been said that Alcibiades was an invincible general and an excellent warrior.However, The Athenians were defeated at the Battle of Notium due to Antiochus, who was the personal helmsman of Alcibiades, disobeying orders. Alcibiades was blamed for the blunder of Antiochus and forced to leave Athens. Alcibiades died in 404 BC and the cause of his death has remained uncertain. A common belief is that his house was purposefully set on fire and he ran outside to get even and attack when he was killed by masses of arrows. The information for this essay was obtained via http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Alcibiades